Lincoln Appreciation Week
by Wannabanauthor
Summary: My favorite moments of this beloved character.
1. Moment I Fell in Love with Him

Lincoln Appreciation Week- Day 1: Moment You Fell in Love With Him

A/N: I wish they would stop torturing him.

* * *

All he can focus on is her. It helps him get through the pain as he's whipped by the seatbelt over and over again. While there are tears in her eyes, it helps keep him grounded.

He almost had the desire to help them, if only it keeps her from crying. She's already so close, a few stray tears trailing down her cheeks.

They came to his home, knocked him out, and dragged him here. Like hell they were getting that cure. But then male leader steps it up a notch, and Lincoln's gaze goes back to her.

He could get through this for her, even if it meant his death.

The spike through his hand hurts a lot more than he expected. He fought to keep from reacting, but his hand shook as the pain radiated throughout his entire body. They can't break him.

The dark-skinned girl joins them on the top floor, and she has a desperate look in her eye. As soon she yanked those wires out of the wall, he reacted. The sparks flying from them reminded him of when he saw his village's warriors spar with swords.

He tried to move away from her as she brought the wires toward him, but his bonds prevented him from escaping. Once again, he looks at the olive skinned one. He's almost certain that she can feel his pain when the wires touched him.

His body writhed, feeling hot and cold at the same time. It shook, and it felt like hot pokers driving through every inch of his skin. He couldn't be silent this time. This was a pain he had never experienced.

He expected his groans of pain would be the last straw for the girl he saved. She picked up his poisoned knife and cut her arm with it. He wanted to stop her, and even tried, but his restraints rendered him useless.

Then she's at his feet pointing to the vials with the knife. He glared at her as she asked him which one. He couldn't let them know he spoke English, but he also couldn't let her die. He had risked so much to save her, and he wasn't going to let his stubbornness get her killed. Even if it meant saving the boy he poisoned.

His expression remained hard as he stared at the bottle all the way to the left. She picks up on it immediately and moves the knife over.

Everybody is no longer focused on the boy but on them. He's sure the leader can feel it. The connection he has with this girl. He doesn't even know why himself, but he knew that there was something there.

That was why he motioned to the cure with his head and nodded when she picked it up.

The two others women take the care and practically run downstairs while his savior stares up at him with innocent but strong eyes.

It's in that moment that he knows she didn't do it for the boy. She cut herself to stop him from being tortured. She risked her life to save his, just like he did for her the day before.

The leader still looked at them as if he knew, but Lincoln ignored him. The torture was over, atleast for now. Something told him the girl would attempt drastic measures again if they so much as looked at him the wrong way.

He doesn't allow the blonde to clean his wound. She stood by and did nothing while he was tortured. The girl who saved him though, he worked with her. After the blonde left, he showed her his appreciation the only way he could.

He thanked her in her native language and cherished the smile that graced her face. She even lied for him.

He would be sad to die without ever knowing her name.


	2. Favorite Quote

Lincoln Appreciation Week- Day 2: Favorite Quote

Yep, I'm going to kill you with angst. Just kidding…or am I?

* * *

"She was already strong."

He meant it. Bellamy didn't mean to slight his sister, but Lincoln had to show him what he saw.

Octavia had been strong long before he met her. What she went through on the Ark, lesser people would have taken their own lives. Being hidden underneath the floor should have destroyed her, but it only made her more resilient.

She kept that resilience for the year she was in prison, and then again when she came down to Earth.

He remembered the night he found her. He had seen her before with the teenagers, but she had a little spunk to her. One of the few that challenged the leader he later found out was her older brother.

The fear in her eyes when she first saw him made him hesitate for a moment, but he took her in anyway. When he looked at her, he swore he saw the broken man lying there instead. Then he cleared his eyes, and it was her wide eyes staring at him. Scared but daring. That's when he knew her strength.

She fought him when he tried to heal her, but his physical strength overpowered hers. She had been fearless when she escaped, running straight into danger.

Thankfully he made it to her in time and showed her what would have happened if she hadn't come along. After that, she no longer feared him. She even trusted him to carry her. Some would thought her foolish, but he knew. She could take him by surprise if she wanted to.

She later did when she bashed his head with a rock for tying her up. He was more amused and proud then he was angry. His anger didn't surface until her friends showed up to take her and later him.

She fought for him time and time again. When he was tortured, and she drew that poisoned blade across her skin. When he spoke, and she covered for him. When she left to die with her people, but he prevented it. She might be strong without him, but he wasn't going to let her die over it.

From then on, it was a battle of them risking their lives for each other. Each time, he did it happily. His reward was the awe and love on her face whenever she laid eyes on him.

He was strong too. She told him often enough. He was the first person to survive being a Reaper. He had also taken so many gunshots, arrows, and knives that she was surprised he could still function.

But more than the physicality, his mind was as kind and gentle as ever. Supporting those that had once tortured him and taking on nearly impossible challenges to prove himself.

He could see why Bellamy thought he made her strong. He taught her how to fight and survive in the wild, but he wanted Bellamy to see what he saw.

Octavia was already strong. He just showed her the avenues to make sure that others knew it as well. Hell, even Indra took notice, though she claimed to hate the girl.

Octavia was strong, and he was stronger for having known her.


	3. Favorite Scene

Lincoln Appreciation Week – Day 3: Favorite Scene

A/N: Ugh, I had to rewatch the "break up" scene to write this. My poor bby, Lincoln, was going to cry. I don't know why, but I feel so protective over him.

* * *

Anxiety rolls through him as he paces around the cave. It's past first light, and she's nowhere in sight. He wrings his hands in attempt to distract himself from the fear rising in his belly.

They would have figured something out. He's sure of it. The Sky People might not be his favorites, but they sure are resourceful.

Moments later, he hears the explosion. For a brief moment, his heart clenches, fearing that Octavia was caught in the blast. He runs over to the site, but her body is nowhere to be found. He is thankful for that, and it calms him somewhat. But he sees the broken and burned bodies of his people, and he is torn. He wants to help, but he's a traitor now, and they wouldn't think twice about killing him.

He decides to go back to the cave and pack the rest of his stuff. Hopefully, she'll be there soon.

When she does enter, he knows his anger shows. He tries to emphasize the danger of the Mountain Men, but he can tell something else is on her mind. He pretends not to notice it, but then she tells him that she's staying.

Dread, anger, devastation all hit him at once. He hopes for a second that she's joking, but the look on her face softens his expression immediately.

She's not looking him in the eye as he takes a few steps towards her. Her hand goes into her bag and retrieves the sketchbook he gave. She holds it out for him to take back.

No. No. No. This wasn't supposed to happen. She'll die if she stays. He tells her as much. Her response is a brave "Maybe." "Maybe" isn't something he has faith in. He has faith in her, but his people are much stronger and in greater numbers. She will without a fact die if she stays.

He can tell that she doesn't want this. He sees the tears forming in her eyes as he moves even closer. He has to know…

"Why?"

"Like you said. They're my people."

And just like that, he nearly breaks. Maybe he's not in this future of hers, or maybe she knows that she's going to die.

Had he been stupid enough to think that she would ever voluntarily part from her brother? Of course, he had. Around her, he believed anything.

He's staring at her, willing to change her mind. When she steps closer, he has hope.

But then she says, "I'm sorry," as tears roll down her cheeks. Her guilt and pain doesn't take away from his. It only heightens it. Neither of them wants it, but it's the right thing for her to do.

He can tell she wants to kiss him once last time, but once her lips move near his, he slightly tilts his jaw away. He can't. He doesn't want to remember her like this. He doesn't want it to be goodbye.

He knows his rejection hurts her even more, but he can't do anything about it. He's in pain too, and this isn't his choice. He would have left it all to be with her, but she can't do the same.

As her lips press against his cheek, his eyes flutter close. He'll allow himself this. This goodbye of hers. He wants to hold on to her and never let her go, but this is her choice. He will respect that.

He doesn't respond when she says goodbye, and she doesn't wait for him to say it back.

Long after she's gone, he realizes that he can't let it end like this. Octavia deserves to live, and so do her people. He's not going to let them die, even if it means risking his own life in the process.

Octavia had been new to all this. While he wasn't her first kiss, he was her first lover and her first love. She didn't know that this was new to him too. He had been with women and men, but no one ever made him feel like taking on the world. Like he could finally break free from his village to live his own life.

He found that in Octavia, and he wasn't going to let it or her go. She was going to survive this. He would make sure of it.


	4. Favorite Platonic Relationship

Day 4: Favorite Platonic Relationship - Clarke and Lincoln

* * *

"You're my people," she said before she shot through him to get the sniper.

The bullet wound hurts like hell, but it's not his first time getting shot. Just another scar to add to the collection.

He never really felt of the TriKru. While he was born a warrior in size, his heart did not match.

He later found understanding in Octavia, then Finn. But Clarke. She was something different.

He knew from the moment he met her that she was a leader. Bellamy might have been in charge, but Clarke was the one who led the surviving 100. She was the voice of reason amongst them, even though he didn't always agree with her.

She let him get tortured. Anya and Lexa would have done the same. Actually, they did. Clarke didn't partake in the torture herself, but she watched, adamant that she was going to get the antidote.

She stayed through the entire ordeal even though he knew that it bothered her. He remembered when Lexa had been like that. Eager for the result, but queasy about the journey to get to it.

While he and Clarke did not always get along or agree, he had respect for her. She was a child when she first landed, but now she rivalled even the adults in leadership. She made the hard decisions and bore the consequences so the people she loved didn't have to.

She killed Finn. At first she fought like hell for him. Lincoln noticed that the boy had been a weakness of hers, but she killed him to spare him the pain. Lincoln hoped that he would never be put in a position like that when it came to Octavia because he knows he wouldn't have the strength to do it.

She let the missile hit TonDC. He immediately knew once he saw her. She and Lexa made that decision. He couldn't fault them. It was the best tactical move, even though it cost them nearly 250 people in the process. He was actually proud.

She had come a long way from the violence-avoidant healer she came down as. He feared that she would harden her heart like Lexa, but Clarke maintained her humanity all throughout their odreals.

He wished he could have talked to her before she left the camp. He wanted to tell her that it would pass. Everyone's done horrible things to survive, including him. Octavia had seen him at his worst, yet still she loved him.

He admired Clarke a lot. She understood him in a way that no one could, and he understood her. The hard choices she had been forced to make had mirrored some of his own.

It hurt him when she left. She was his person, just as much as he was one of her people. She saved his life twice, and he had saved hers many times as well.

Once he heard she left, he wanted to follow her. He knew the area well and would have been able to warn her about any upcoming dangers. But he was needed at the camp, and Octavia would not have been too happy about that.

They disagreed over the missile, and so they decided to not talk about it. Octavia felt betrayed and hurt, and Lincoln couldn't blame her. If Octavia had been caught in the blast, he might have killed Clarke himself or atleast tried to.

It was a no win situation, so he just let the matter drop from his mind.

Now Clarke was on her own. She made the choice to leave and deal with decisions she made. He sent a prayer to the gods to look after her because he couldn't anymore. He had to move forward, but some day he would come looking for her.

He owed her that much.


	5. Favorite Romantic Relationship

Day 5: Favorite Romantic Relationship - Octavia and Lincoln

* * *

Octavia.

Everything in his head told him to stay away from her, but he felt himself drawn to the young woman.

She was childish but a spitfire. A bit on the impulsive side as well. His job had been to only observe the Sky People and report on them.

The assignment had been his saving grace. Anya and Indra knew he was growing restless while in the village, so they allowed him this small thing so he could keep to himself. He loved his people and would die for them, but he did not like living among them. Even with a warrior's body, he felt out of place.

It started off simple enough, just watching the Sky People adjust to life on Earth. It had been humorous at times, and frightening at others. They hung that boy that they caught killed the black teen. And they thought his people were savages.

Fate seemed to throw him into odd circumstances when it came to Octavia. Happening upon her at the bottom of the ravine was one. It had been a split second decision once she woke up whether he would help her or not.

He did and told himself it would be just this once. But then she escaped and almost got herself killed by his people. When he locked her in the cave, he didn't expect her to have such a strong reaction to it. She just needed to stay put until he helped her friends.

Helping her turned out to bite him in the ass, since he was knocked out twice, kidnapped, and tortured.

She was daring. That was one of the things that drew him to her. Cutting herself with his poisoned blade was a bold move that forced his hand.

She was right. He wouldn't let her die.

Her brother kept them separate, but she snuck in when she could. When she cleaned him up, he could feel their connection humming. His body responded to her, and he couldn't understand why.

She was young and impulsive. He should have run for the hills the moment he laid eyes on her, but here he was letting her clean him. She felt it too. He could tell.

Her body language and wandering eyes told him that she felt the pull too. It was what convinced him to kiss her when she freed him.

He didn't return to the cave for a few days. It was the first place they would come looking for him, so he waited. On the fourth day, she was waiting for him.

They just stared at each other until she strode over to him and kissed him soundly.

That was how it all started. She would sneak out of her camp at night and come visit her. He started teaching her how to defend herself some nights, and other nights they explored each other's bodies.

About a week into their affair, she broached the topic of sex. She knew he wanted it, but he had been careful not to push her into anything. Once he was sure that she wanted to go through with it, he gave her some herbs to prevent pregnancy.

The next time they met, they had sex for the first time. It was slow and torturous for her, since he was ever so careful not to hurt her. It took a few more times for her to convince him that he could be rougher with her.

Then on her people's holiday, she came to visit him. It was the last night where everything had been peaceful.

He hated to think of all the near death experiences they both had, but now they were both alive and together. Mount Weather was gone for good, and they were still living.

Neither one of them are sleepy when they get back, so they make love. Slow, passionate, and intense sex. They don't want to talk about everything that happened, so they work out their frustrations in more pleasurable ways.

She straddles his lap as their tongues caress each other. His hand is between them, forcing her climax to come sooner. She clenches him tightly as she comes, and he is not far behind her.

Sloppy kisses are placed on his neck and chin, and he smiles against her hair. Pushing it behind her ears, he looks into her eyes.

"Octavia, you are the world to me," he says before kissing her lightly on the lips. He had been through hell and back to make sure that he always came back to her, and he would continue doing so.

"I love you, Lincoln," she replies before taking his hand and kissing each one of his fingers.

He caresses her face and brings her in for another kiss. He wasn't sure what they were going to do now that they were exiled from the TriKru, but they would face their future together.


	6. Song You Associate With Him

Lincoln Appreciation Week – Day 6: Song You Associate With Him

Human by Christina Perri

* * *

The seatbelt against his skin is child's play. His initiation rites were tougher than this. He toughs it out. Dark brown eyes stay trained on his muse in the back. The glimmer in her eyes makes his heart clench, and he desires to reach for her.

His face stays impassive, even when the spike is driven through his palm. He allows himself a tiny wince, but he remains strong. The tears streaming down her face helps him stay strong. He knows if he breaks she will too.

It's not until the wires touch him that he makes his pain audible. It felt like fire dancing through his body. He struggles and groans, she jumps into action.

Later when he is free, he lets himself feel the pain as he heals. But she is there to help. Her impulsivity might get them both killed. But when their lips touch a second time, he realizes he doesn't care.

He never refuses her. They both sneak off to meet each other, she more than him. His people don't care that he's gone often. He wouldn't care what they thought anyway. He prefers the solitude, except when he's with her.

The peace couldn't last. She's poisoned, and they're running out of time. He was stupid to let himself get captured, but he couldn't let her die. Then he was reunited with her only to taken away again.

The red becomes his only want. He knows he will never see her again, and it breaks him momentarily. The red becomes his new love. The thing he would kill for.

As the drug works its way out of his system, his consciousness is hell. He regrets giving up on them. He regrets being a pawn in Cage's game. He hates how he let her down. What he hates the most is that he let himself down.

His time as a Reaper haunts him. He can't talk about it. Not even with her. He opens up to Bellamy because they're not close. He became the monster he tried to fight against, and he hates himself for it. This trek to the mountain would only be the first step in redeeming himself.

He relapses. She was right. He wasn't ready. He leaves Bellamy to his fate, while his body is joyous to have the red again. He feels on top of the world until he sees her face. The disgust, the disappointment. He can tolerate that from anyone, except for her.

The slap across the face jars him. He's looking into her eyes, and he sees her fear. She doesn't want to lose him. She wants him to fight. There is no other choice. He needs to believe in himself. If he doesn't, he won't get better. So he chooses to stay and fight this with her.

He's been shot. He's been exiled. But he's alive. The red no longer has a hold on him. Cage is its new victim, even though it is only short lived. But Lincoln fought, and he won. His shoulders felt a little looser, and his heart weighed a little less.

He will miss Indra. She did her best by him, but it wasn't enough. He was too different. So he rejoined Octavia, and they walked into Camp Jaha, hand in hand. They were strong independently and together. They've been through hell and back, but they survived.

But eventually their luck would run out. They were only human, after all.


	7. Free Choice

Lincoln Appreciation Week – Day 7: Free Choice

* * *

Pain is something he has always been accustomed to.

It started off when he was a child. The other children would sometimes pick ono him because he was bigger. After coming home with bruises and cuts for a week straight, his father taught him how to fight.

His mother passed not long after he was born, so he never had anyone to show him much sympathy. His father was a warrior and was glad his son was built to be one too.

But Lincoln didn't want to be a warrior. He preferred to watch his surroundings and take in the beauty of nature. Whenever he did have to fight, he only did it to defend himself. One time, he accidentally broke a kid's arm. His father congratulated him, but he felt sick.

He thought for a moment that he could become a healer. When he found that man that fell from the sky, he thought that it might be his calling. But after three days of not knowing what to do, he made the mistake of going to his father.

He was just a child, but his father made him do it. He was young, so his cuts were sloppy. The man did not die quickly. Those cries still haunt his dreams.

After that, he gave up on being healer. It seemed like the universe wanted him to be something else.

So he trained hard as a warrior, with Indra leading him. He grew up big and strong, and soon became Anya's second most successful warrior. Lexa was younger but ahead of him. She was more willing to get the job done at the expense of others. He just wasn't built like that.

He remembers all his kills. Every single one. To forget them would be a dishonor to their memory. He carries that pain with him wherever he goes, and Anya can see it. While she is the commander, she is not ignorant of his pain.

When the dropship landed on their territory, it was the perfect excuse for both of them. It was Indra who first suggested it, meaning it as insult to his character.

But Anya and Lincoln both agreed to it. He would get his peace, and they would get the useful information about these newcomers. He said his good byes and found a nice cave to settle in.

Spying on the delinquents was fairly easy. While they knew somebody was out there, he knew where to hide because he knew the land better.

He also used the opportunity to work on his drawing. It was a secret he kept from everybody but Anya. Indra knew initially, but she criticized him for wasting his time. Then she saw his gift for details and gave him the task of creating maps from memory.

Indra was not as mean as people believed. She was like Lexa. They had a duty to their people and getting sidetracked could get them killed.

She worked with him when she could. Giving him a practical outlet for his drawing. Making the suggestion he spy on the Sky People when she saw he was restless in the village. Whenever she made these suggestions, her tone was harsh, but her eyes told a different story.

She just wanted him to live to old age, and his moods would only hinder him. She was the mother he didn't have growing up. She didn't coddle him, but she gave him a way out when things got too much at home.

Anya was fair with him. She was surprisingly compassionate for a commander. Her people always came first, but he was part of her people. She did what she could for him, just like Indra. She even kept the drawings he did of her. It was a small token of their friendship that she held onto. He was glad when she let him go to the caves.

The caves were his home for a moment, and it was peaceful. Then he made the decision to help one of the Sky People, and everything went to hell.

While he found love, war broke out. Endless pain and agony made him want to quit the world several times over. But he always found a reason to stay.

So he endures the pain because it's worth it. He gets to draw, embrace his lover, and think of all the fond moments he had with Anya and Indra when he gazes at the stars.

Without pain, he wouldn't have happiness. So he gets used to it, for the tradeoff is so very worth it.


End file.
